Inmates working with yarn

A Worthy Cause
	Inmates at the Brunswick Correctional Center have taken up crochet hooks for charity. Ms. Zarrella, SORT Program Director, and Ms. Stransky, Assistant SORT Program Director, recruited inmate volunteers to help an organization called “From the Heart” crochet items for individuals in need. From the Heart humbly began in 2001 with a few volunteers. Their work has grown not only in popularity, but in demand. An expanded team of volunteers use donated materials to crochet such things as: - Hats and blankets for chemotherapy patients at the Massey Cancer Center and the Virginia Cancer Institute - Slippers and slipper socks for the veterans living at the McGuire Veterans Hospital - Preemie baby hats for Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia (VCU/MCV) - Sleeping bags, hats, and mittens for Friends of the Homeless to help homeless people stay warm during the harsh winter months - Knitted clothing items such as baby outfits and blankets for the Head Start program in Wise County, the Appalachian area of Virginia, which helps needy families maintain a “Clothes Closet” for their impoverished community. “From the Heart” does a great deal to help the communities in Virginia, and the group of 15 volunteers at Brunswick is now a part of this spirit of caring. The members of “Stitch ‘n Time,” as the group has named itself, have crocheted multiple 12” x 12” squares that “From the Heart” then collected and joined into lap blankets for wheelchair-bound veterans and chemotherapy patients. The group is also working on hats and scarves for homeless shelters and will soon be donating its services to Operation Home Front by making helmet liners for soldiers. The Stitch ‘n Time group could use your help. If you have any scrap or leftover yarn that you would like to donate, please contact Ms. Zarrella or Ms. Stransky at (434) 848-4131.